Utah liquor laws....

Remove all ads!

Ok, I need to do a little ranting on Utah laws right now.

But first some back ground.

The other night we were watching the nightly news. They had a segment where a camera crew went along with some cops on “party patrol” since it was the Saturday night before Halloween which is always a major party night across the state. At one point during the segment, a woman is cuffed for no real reason. When she asked what she had done wrong, the officer said, and I quote, “Did you know it is illegal to be drunk inside your own home?”

Now, my wife and I were like WTF?!? You can’t be drunk inside your own home now? When did big brother take away that right?

Anyway, we both dismissed it, thinking the officer was just making stuff up…but on Monday, the subject and the quote in question was all over the local radio talk shows. The law was confirmed several times and the debates began. I don’t want this thread to spin out of control on the whole separation of church and state debate, but in this particular case, I feel that the law is a direct result of the Utah legislature being composed primarily of LDS politicians with two things on their minds: religion, and family values that revolve around religion. Utah has some of the worst liquor laws in the US…but there are others states with a tighter noose around anyone who wishes to partake in drinking alcohol.

In Texas for example, I remember a ‘COPS’ episode where they were arresting people coming out of a bar who were going to do the responsible thing and walk home instead of driving home. What kind of message does that send? You can’t drive drunk…but you also can’t take a more responsible path and walk home either?

One of the biggest pieces of bull s**t here in Utah is the fact that every single bar or club in the state has to be a ‘private club for members’ because there’s a law here saying that unless it’s a private club, then it’s public property…and drinking alcohol in public is strictly against the law.

Which brings me to my main point and frustration…if you’re not allowed to get drunk in your own home, does that mean that your home is actually public property? How can they justify making it illegal to do something like getting drunk and having fun spending time with friends and family behind closed doors, of what I always though was a private residence?

Any thoughts?

 

“Did you know it is illegal to be drunk inside your own home?” Thats a wee bit over the top. I am sure there are more important crimes to focus on

Edit: My partner was telling me that in Pittsburgh (or maybe PA in general) the bar can get in trouble if their customers are drunk in public. Surely someone over the age of 21 is mature enough to take responsibility for their own actions?

 

Shouldn't this be in AoLS? Anyway, this is probably an example of a typically non-enforced law that you can get screwed on. Like you can legally get a ticket for going 5 mph over the speed limit, but cops typically only look for 10+. Or on a funnier note, here are a couple from the Simpsons:

-All ducks must wear pants (probably a dig at Donald Duck wearing a shirt and cap but nothing else)
-"It is unlawful for a man to be hatless during daylight hours."

 

This doesn't only happen in the US. I heard a story from a town nearby where I live, that a man was walking home drunk after a festival and he came across two cops who asked the man to take a breathalyser test. So the guy says: "What for? I'm doing the responsible thing and walking home. I knew I was gonna get drunk, so I choose not to drive." So the cops ask him if he has any ID on him, and the guy goes: "No, I'm afraid my wallet would get stolen in the pub, so I only brought some cash." The man gets tickets for being drunk in public and not having an ID with him (which is illegal in The Netherlands). So this guy loses it and starts yelling at the officers and probably a little cursing, so they slap him with a ticket for verbally assaulting an officer.

This kind of behavior from cops is just ridiculous. They are there to protect other people from harm, so if there isn't a risk factor, just leave them alone. Sure, if it's a group of drunks getting violent, they should book 'em, or if somebody is beating his wife and kids in a drunken rage at home. But if people don't hurt or bother anyone, just leave them be.

Doesn't the fact that you have to pay an entrance fee, make it a private place? (Or are there no fees in Utah?)

The US drinking laws just take it too far. I got one more story and then I'll shut up again (it is about Utah, so it qualifies as a weird Utah drinking law... unless it happened in California, I can't remember). I was on a vacation in the US, I was 19 or 20 at the time, so me and my father walk into this place to order some take away pizzas. It was gonna take a while, so my father orders a beer and a sprite. I want to sit down at the bar and the bartenders asks me for my ID. So I say: "I'm twenty years old, the Sprite is for me, the beer is for my dad." So this guy tells me the bar is 'reserved' for people over 21. What's the point of that? Is it so people under the age of 21 can't see alcohol or something like that?

 

What kind of evil people could make anykind of law against alcohol ?

Seriously that's like the dumbest thing I've heard, how could they know whether or not you're drunk when you're inside you're own house? Do they make some "Random booze check", maybe ask something like: "Are you drinking anything tonight, sir?", damn.

Move to Europe!

 

Oh no...we don't get by so easily. Not only do you have to buy a membership, but you also have to pay a cover charge! A lot of bars/clubs will have 'ladies nights' where women don't have to pay the cover...but I have never heard of a place that didn't charge guys.

Yeah...I wish I could. If I had a job lined up, school out of the way, and a nice house that was paid for, I'd move to Europe in a heartbeat! But at this point and time, I'm so poor that I can't even afford to move back to California.

 

Everything that Kit is saying is true about Utah. I don't live there, but I once had to go out there for work. I was out there for an entire week, and it was in September, so after I got home on Monday evening, I decided I'd head down to the bar in the hotel to watch Monday Night Football and have a beer or two. When I got to the bar, the server asked to see an ID. Now, I know some people are very strict about carding, but given that I was 31 years old at the time, and look older than my chronological age, I thought it was very strange for him to think I was possibly under 21.

He then explained to me he needed to see my ID not to verify my age, but to verify I was not a resident of Utah. Naturally, I questioned why that would matter. He then told me that all Utah residents were only allowed to consume alcohol at private clubs, and that I had to prove I didn't live in Utah to be exempted from the charge.

OK, I thought that was pretty strange but I got my Guiness, and an order of chicken wings and proceeded to sip my beer, munch on my wings and watch the game. About an hour later, just before halftime, the chicken wings were long gone, and I wanted to have another beer. So I called the server order and told him I wanted another Guiness. He said, OK, but that's your second, so you can't get another one after this. I looked at him like he had three heads. "You have a two drink limit?!?!" I asked incredulously. He nodded that they did. To which I responded, "What am I supposed to drink in the second half of the game?" He told me to drink soda. I'm thinking that in line with not getting drunk, a bar can ensure you won't drink too much if they place a maximum of two drinks per customer. Ridiculous.

It wasn't even like I was planning on drinking a lot. It was Monday, and I had to go to work the next day. I fully anticipated having a few beers, and going to bed when the game ended, around 10:30. It wasn't like I was going to start doing shots or something like that. I probably wasn't going to have more than about three beers anyway. It just aggrevated me that the choice was taken away from me. I could only have two whether I wanted more or not.

 

Viking hums a few bars to himself: "...and the land of the free"

Now this is plainly daft.

If you are allowed to drink in your own house, then this is plain stupid. If you are not allowed to drink in your own house then it is prohibition which I thought everyone agreed failed in the 30's.

My best suggestion is that like yourself most rational people in Utah are unaware of the law in this regard, and hopefully this might just push public opinion towards a change?

 

As a born and raised Utah boy myself, I can attest to how ridiculous Utah liquor laws are. Most counties only grant 1 liquor license per every 20,000 population, which means that most towns only have one or two bars. Also, the alcohol content of all beer in the state of Utah is about HALF what it is everywhere else. Despite the obvious logical gap there is here (if you make beer less potent, people will just move on to hard liquor to have a good time...and they do) it definitely hurts local economies. People often cross state lines to buy decent beer, as most consider "Utah beers" a small step up from O'Doules.

I'm certain that if the Mormon majority in Utah could ban swearing, pre-marital sex, coffee, non-pg television, rated R movies and a host of other harmless things that go against their nerf dreamworld, they would. Cuz' clearly they'd love to.

 

When were these laws made? By the way their being enforced, I'd guess most of them don't fall under the 'old stupid law that makes no sense' category, but maybe the first one, being drunk in your own home, does. Isn't Utah also the state that strictly forbids hunting whales? The whales that couldn't possibly live anywhere in Utah except the aquariums? Or is that somewhere else. Anyway, there are some really stupid laws still on the books from 150+ years ago.

The house one opens up another question. If it is illegal to get drunk in your own home, does that mean it is legal to get drunk in someone else's?

 

We have those religious law makers here and they often tend to be bigots. I can even make a pool of beer in my own house, they can't interfere. They tried to ban drinking in public areas and make marked areas for it, but they couldn't. I was WTF? when they tried it but now I am happy to be here.And the policeman, I just hate most of them.

And another example from me: Some of my friends were walking on the vehicle road because there were no pavement there; and they got a ticket. When they made objection and the police chief said: "Give them an additional ticket if they are drunk"!

I will be a very dangerous person if somebody takes my freedom of drinking ( I don't drink much but I love it). I think I can be a serial killer if I were in Utah.

 

I'm guessing they fall under the category 'mormon'.

 

Hell...during my bachelor party, the bouncer at the club asked the limo driver for ID! The guy is in his mid 60's, and he's being asked for ID?!?! He wasn’t even going to drink anything because he was obviously the designated driver! I think there's another stupid Utah liquor law stating that *everyone* has to be IDed...even if they are 90 years old and limping around with a walker.

To buy any wine, liquor, or pre-mixed cocktails, you have to go to the State owned Liquor Stores where you'll get ripped off big time. You have to be 21 just to go inside. Last time I was at the nearest liquor store, a lady walked in with a young child...and they made her leave! I was tempted to ask her if she would like me to buy whatever she needed...but that is a federal crime, even though she looked to be in her late 30's.

The worst part about this whole situation is, if any Utah legislature were to try and change the laws to be more...open...he/she wouldn't survive another election. Hell, the bill would be strongly opposed by other members of the legislature because they know if *they* support it as well, then they wouldn't last much longer in office.

 

State owned liqor stores? Sounds like somthing out of the Soviet Union.

 

Aint that the same

Sweeden has the same, which is why a lot of them goes to Denamrk to buy Alchohol and Beer.

And imho such laws are retarded. like wtf, i cant be drunk in my own home. and getting a fee for walking...next time i would take the car then

 

The way it is here is that if bars get raided and underaged are found inside the bar is going to be heavily fined and closed down for some while which will hurt business badly. This is why many owners tell their empolyees to allways check the ID no matter how sure they are of the age. This makes it more likely for the employees not to start slipping in their policy and let in people who they think might be old enough.

The same goes for Finland. We also have a betting monopoly and a post monopoly which both are state owned. These all are probably going to be eventually scrapped with the new EU legistlation and I'm not completely sure that it would be for the best in all cases.

 

That's called Democracy. The majority of the people in Utah believe that alcohol is harmful to the drinker and those around them, so they have laws severely restricting it. I didn't realize what those laws actually were because I didn't go to Utah until after I'd been clean for almost 2 years (and am glad I didn't go before I quit drinking).

The majority gets what they want, and would likely get testy with people that try to change that.

 

****ing stupid laws, once again the moral conservatives create laws to infringe on a man's rights, this time the right to ****ing drink some standard beer. UGH!

Remind me that if I ever go to the US, I am NOT to go to Utah. Arresting people in their homes. >=/

 

Ah, but that's just the thing. Now, mormons aren't the majority anymore. IIRC, they are down in numbers in the state to the point where the population of mormons in Utah is <35%. But don't quote me one that.

All these political ads for the mid-term elections just proves that the idiots running for office have no sense of separation of church and state. One of them is bleatingly advertising that he's going to "Fight for Utah's morals , and family values.

Gee...I wonder what those "morals" and "family values" are? I can guarantee that they aren't *my* morals. It's already illegal to buy alcohol and cars on Sunday...what's next? Are they going to make it illegal to mow your lawn on Sunday?

I can't wait for the day when my wife and I can afford to move back to California.

Hmmm...I think my wife and I are going to have to make a drive through the mountains to Evanston, Wyoming for cheap booze and fireworks before it starts snowing.